>> The Chrysler Aspen. This could be one of the least known of the mid-size SUVs. We're about to change that. Come take a look.
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Now our Chrysler Aspen unfortunately is going to be an exercise in what could have been, which is ironic, because today, the day we actually shot this video, Chrysler announced they're closing the factory that makes these things. But that's another story entirely. Now our vehicle is a little bit idle as well. The navigation system isn't on this one unfortunately. It's a relatively well priced option at sixteen hundred bucks. It would go here, but of course it's not here. We have the most basic head unit, with a single disc CD slot, don't see those that often. AM FM, and an auxiliary jack. The AUX jack is conveniently located instead of being buried inside of a console somewhere, I like that. Now there's no really good place for your MP3 player to live except down in here, but at least that's right near a power outlet, so the ergonomics are actually pretty good for a DIY digital music setup on the fly. Now I mentioned we have a single disc CD here, we do have an upgraded audio output system though. You can upgrade the speakers independently of the head unit, and we have done that on this vehicle. Eight speakers of Alpine branding, with a strange number of two hundred and seventy six watts of power, which runs four hundred dollars by the way on the option sheet. By the way, in between the nav and this bottom line system is also another one that has an in-dash six disc changer that will also take MP3 CDs. This one only takes standard audio CDs. Now Bluetooth hands-free is available in this vehicle, [inaudible] does have it fortunately as an a la carte option, they call it You Connect in the Daimler Chrysler world. The controls are rather handily located up here on the mirror now, it's kind of like where you find On Star controls on a General Motors product, but here these are actually You Connect Bluetooth controls. You see the little You Connect logo right there on that one. Couple of nice controls here ergonomically speaking for the driver. You've got a very simple all wheel drive versus four wheel drive lock knob right here, you can't make that much more suburban friendly, can you? And then over here is a button that's labeled a hundred and fifteen volt, AC hundred and fifty watts. It's not an outlet, it's a button. It turns on something. Well we found it. There's actually a wall outlet if you will, a regular household outlet in the back of the console. So that's nice, this car has a built in power inverter. Transmission's pretty basic on this car, it's a five speed automatic column shifter. They have a technology in here that has an alternate second gear for smoother downshifts through the very lowest range of the gears. Beyond that, pretty basic transmission lineup, and it's your only choice. Now standard on this vehicle's a couple of nice things. When you go into reverse you get rear park distance sensors that use that LED bank in the rear in case some dummy's walking behind you while you're backing up. It's nice cause you can see it that way, hear it, and see it in your rear view mirror. One other cockpit nicety is the remote control power lift gate button right here. You press that, it emits a warning tone, and up goes the gate, and you can go the other way as well, press it again, and down she comes. Now the engine story on this thing is kind of interesting. Our vehicle again, has the uninteresting motor, the four point seven liter V8. It's a gas engine here, it's flex fuel in the other forty five states, not including California, New York, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts. But if you option the five point seven liter hemi, you get more power and better mileage. They do that by using multi displacement technology in the hemi motor, which means when you're not using full torque and major power delivery, it shuts off half the cylinders, two in each bank and you're running as a four cylinder. Bottom line is the bigger torquier motor gets fourteen twenty MPG, the less interesting motor gets fourteen eighteen. It's a good option to get the hemi. Oh by the way, if you've got horrible memories of the old V468 Cadillac technology that did multi-cylinder, this is very different electromechanically disabling the injectors, the valve lifters, and the plugs on the cylinders that are going to sleep, and minimizing drag by the geometry of all that. This works well. Okay, let's price out our '07 Aspen Limited all wheel drive. Again, with the base, less interesting engine, thirty three five.
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Then we added three hundred and sixty bucks for the Bluetooth and electro chromic mirror, one ninety five for Sirius radio, three ninety five for the upgraded Alpine speakers and better amplification, plus leather and a trailering package, all in about thirty six five out the door.
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